Heartwarming Family Heritage Travel to Sicily, Valguarnera Caropepe Tracing Family Roots Back to the 17th Century

Originally published on June 3, 2026 | Last updated on June 4, 2026

The Unforgettable Family Heritage Travel to Sicily, Family Roots trip, and Favorite Things to Do in Valguarnera Caropepe, Back to the 17th Century, follows a deeply personal journey as the family explores ancestral connections, traces their roots back to the 17th century, and uncovers the history, culture, and everyday life that shaped their story in Valguarnera Caropepe.

by Kelly S.

My husband’s family immigrated to the United States from Sicily in the early 20th century. Following the pandemic, we took a once in a life time trip to Sicily with our parents and our children. I wanted to go to his family’s hometown of Valguarnera Caropepe, Italy. One tour operator agreed to arrange a tour of Sicily that would take us here.  The tour operator arranged a drive with a van, hotels with breakfast, and booked a variety of tours for us. We were on our own for lunch and dinner.

Zooming in on Valguarnera Caropepe on Google Maps in preparation for the trip

I studied architecture in Rome in college, so I spoke a little Italian, and it was simple for us to get around.  I looked at Valguarnera Caropepe on Google Maps in preparation for the trip. There were 2 museums in the town, so I reached out to them – in Italian – to simply ask if they would be open on the day of our visit. I explained that my husband’s family came from the town and that we wished to visit. They responded that they would be open and suggested that if I could provide a little bit of information on his family, then the museum could do a little research.  

When the small interaction turns into one of the most incredible experiences

The impact of that small interaction turned into the most incredible experience with the museum’s owner, Paolo Totò Bellone. We expected to explore Valguarnera Caropepe on our own, but instead, Paolo guided us for the entire day. He revealed how the family lived in the town, and the history of local customs and festivals. Plus, he explained the changes to street names over the years.

A better understanding of why certain traditions are so important, even when away from Ancestral Lands

My father-in-law was overwhelmed and grateful to see the homes where his beloved grandparents were born, the streets they played in growing up, the church in which they were married, and where they lived in Italy after their wedding. He was excited to hear about local customs such as the importance of the St. Joseph Day celebrations. He connected to the town primarily through his grandmother. Through our tour, he gained a better understanding of why certain traditions were so important to her and why she continued to celebrate these traditions with her family once they moved to the United States.

Family Roots Trip to Sicily, and Things to Do in Valguarnera Caropepe that We Did

We traveled off the beaten path to Valguarnera Caropepe. It was Italy’s national holiday, the Festa della Repubblica or Republic Day, which commemorates the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946. I did not know about it, and we unfortunately arrived just after the town’s parade.  Before our trip, I reached out to two museums in the town to ask if they would be open on the days that we arrived. One of them responded that they would be open, and if I provided some information about our family, they might be able to do a little bit of research for me.  

Visiting Chiesa Madre Church,” Mother Church in Valguarnera”, built in 1626 by the Prince of Valguarnera

We visited the Chiesa Madre first while it was open in the morning before siesta. The church was built in 1626 by the Prince of Valguarnera. The interior was lovely.  Each chapel was decorated beautifully with a painting in each archway. Concetta and Gregorio were married in this church on January 9, 1921. We met the pastor, who showed us a book written by a member of the family, but unfortunately, the author was no longer living. He blessed us in Italian. I missed most of what he said, but he welcomed us back to our family home and wished us well on our journey.

Stop at the Casa Museo Caripa

Our next stop was the Casa Museo Caripa, or the House Museum. We were disappointed to find the door was locked when we arrived. Luca told me that he, too, had emailed the museums, and he called the proprietor, who was at the other museum. It turned out that both museums belonged to the same proprietor – Paolo Totò Bellone.  Paolo arrived shortly after with a package of historical family documents for Paul.  He had done more than a little research.  

Papa’s cousin Frances Parisi wrote a wonderful story about Gregorio’s return to Valguanera Caropepe to find a wife. She described the multi-story townhouse where the family lived.  The street level housed the farm animals and tools. It also stored grain and other food products. The middle floor contained bedrooms and a large living area with a balcony onto the street.

The kitchen was found on the third floor with a “forno,” which was a wood-heated clay oven with a large opening. The kitchen overlooked a rooftop garden where the children played. The Casa Museo Caripa was strikingly similar to the description of the house in the story, although it did not have a rooftop terrace.  

Purchasing a Three-Generation House to Save Family Heritage

Paolo purchased the house in 2014 after the family who owned it moved their grandmother out. Her family lived in the house for three generations.  When Paolo entered the house, he found a museum in its contents.  There was no electricity, and water ran into the house in a few sinks, including a laundry sink, which was located at the top of the stairs.

The house included a kitchen with a forno on the top floor.  Most families in Caropepe were farmers, or they worked in the Sulphur mine.  We know that the family farmed land outside the city.  Paolo explained that the museum house dates from the medieval period and that it was once a tower in the city wall.  He pointed out the location where a gate was once attached on the exterior.  Paolo clarified that there is an upper town, Caropepe Soprano, and a lower town.  During medieval times, you had to pay the gatekeeper a toll to enter the town.  This tower and gate were on the main road from Piazza Armerina.  

Keeping The Black Jack Chewing Gum Received from The Canadian Army

The woman’s wedding dress still hung in the armoire. There were stacks of love letters in the dresser. A fascist board game for a child sat out. The woman kept Black Jack Chewing Gum she received from the Canadian Army when they liberated Sicily. The house also contained a stable in the basement – just like the story of the home! In addition to the stable, the house also had a 1-room apartment in the basement. Paolo told us that a man came to the museum and shared with him that at one time he lived in this apartment with 10 people, and they did not have any electricity.  

Tracing the Family Lineage back to the 17th Century

Paolo’s research traced the family lineage back to a Giovanni who was born in the late 17th century. He provided a family tree as well as supporting documents, which appear illegible to me. Along with this research, he discovered the addresses of the family, and he was able to take us to see their houses. Gregorio was born in Via Commercio 63 (which is now Via Cristoforo Colombo 63).  The neighbor across the street said that the house had been renovated and that the front door had been filled in.  It no longer looks like it would have when Gregorio was a boy, but he still played in this street!  

From Auntie Frances’s narrative to the Three Families living in Valguanera Caropepe today.

Around the corner was the house where Gregorio’s mother, Carmela Pavone, lived when she passed away: Via Ospizio 85. This street was mentioned in the story.  Paolo said that there was a convent at the end of the street and that is where the street gets its name. Paolo told us that this house was at least 400 years old.  It was clear once we reached the house that this was the home described in Auntie Frances’s narrative. From Google Maps, it appears that the kitchen is towards the rear of the house, and the rooftop terrace overlooks the street.

We could make out a rail at the top of the front façade. Paolo told us that there are three families living in Valguanera Caropepe today.  

Construction of Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giuseppe

Next, he brought us around the corner to Alessi’s address, where Concetta was born.  The house at Via Arco 115, which is now Via Manzoni 115, appeared to be relatively new, and two families lived there.  Paolo was sure that it was not the house where Concetta was born.

La Mursiada, which is mentioned in the story, is the name of the piazza at the end of Concetta’s street. It appears to be named Piazza Napoleone Colajanni today. The people who emigrated sent money back home to fund the construction of Chiesa Parrocchiale di S. Giuseppe or St. Joseph’s Church. Today, Via Garibaldi, which terminates in Piazza S. Giuseppe, is the principal thoroughfare.  

Museo Etna-Antropologico e dell’Emigrazione Valguarnerese

We wanted to see the second museum, and the hours state that it is closed from noon until 5 p.m. Our original goal had been to visit the church and the museums before noon because everything closed for Siesta from noon until 5 p.m.  When Paolo recommended seeing the great-grandparents’ houses before we visited the museum, Paul told him that he didn’t want to miss the museum.  Paolo responded, “It’s ok.  I have the key.”  

The Largest Museum in the Center of Sicily

We visited Paolo’s signature museum: Museo Etna-Antropologico e dell’ Emigrazione Valguarnerese, which is housed in the Palazzo Prato, which was at one time the grandest house in town. Paolo began the museum in 2010 with artifacts from his grandparents. Then people in town began giving him more and more historic items for the museum. Today, it is the largest museum in the center of Sicily. The museum includes exhibits that illustrate the historic way of life in Valguarnera Caropepe, including farm implements, mining tools, and household items.  

Another floor was dedicated to the Sicilian emigration of the late 19th and early 20th century. Gregorio and his father, Mariano, were among this group who left to make a new life in the United States.  This exhibit is dedicated to those Sicilians who left to make their fortunes elsewhere. The center of this exhibit follows the DiVita-LaSpina family.  Francesco DiVita’s parents sold him to the Sulphur mine when he was a child.  

He labored as a “carusu,” which is Sicilian for “mine-boy.” His job was to carry the raw ore up to the surface.  He worked in the mine into adulthood.  

Emigrating to West Virginia For Coal Mining: Long Journey Toward The American Dream

Eventually, he emigrated along with his wife and children to West Virginia, where he mined coal. One of the exhibits shows the evolution in the quality of careers for each successive generation of the family.  It is amazing that in a few generations this family went from mining coal to CEO, CFO, attorney, university professor, accountant, veterinarian, aerospace engineer, architect, and more.

It is an excellent reminder that the American Dream is alive and well. The United States is a country with so much opportunity. The success and happiness of our families and the lives that we lead today are the fortune that our great-grandparents were seeking when they made a new life in America.  

A museum graphic explains that from 1901 to 1915, 27.3% of Italy’s population emigrated to the US, and among those, almost half were from southern Italy. Over a million emigrants came from Sicily, which was close to one-third of the population of the island. And beyond emigration to the United States, Sicilians traveled to South America and other countries as well.  Paolo told us that there are large Valguanerese populations in Rochester, NY, and Argentina.  

Palermo Opera House,  Liberty-style architecture

Paolo made some calls to find a spot that was open for lunch. Unfortunately, most of the town was closed for the holiday, and any restaurants that were open were full.  On our way to the restaurant, we passed the Mosaico San Cristofero on Via Garibaldi across from the lovely Piazza d’Arco di Litteri. The citizens commissioned the ceramic mural by the master Giuseppe di Bartolo from Caltagirone.

It was erected on the side of a private home, and it depicts the town’s patron saint, San Cristoforo, carrying the baby Jesus. The piazza across the street is surrounded by Liberty-style architecture, like that of the Palermo Opera House.  At the end of the piazza, there is an arch with a building above it that leads to Via Cristoforo Colombo, which is where Gregorio lived as a small child.

People like you. People who are from Valguanera Caropepe.

We ate lunch at a small café called Un Po’ Dolce Un Po’ Salato (A Little Bit Sweet; A Little Bit Salty).  We all ordered the lasagna, which was delicious. The café was very quiet when we arrived, but it grew quite busy quickly. After we paid, I spoke to the locals a little bit.

Visiting Chiesa Sant’Antonino,

I could tell that they were very excited that we were visiting.  They wanted to know where in the United States we lived. They seemed to recognize Atlanta. Paolo brought his wife, Serena, and her sister to meet us. I started to explain who we were, and she stopped me and told me that she knew all about us. There is a good chance that I was emailing back and forth with her and that she conducted the research.  

Paolo and his wife, Serena, took us to Chiesa Sant’Antonino, which is where Concetta was baptized.  He explained that the church had fallen into disrepair and closed 40 years ago, but it is currently under renovation. Coincidentally, next door to the church was a series of palazzi that Paolo owns. He said that he just purchased the last house the week before.

Paolo is planning to live in the palazzo next to the church, in addition to having a museum and a hotel.  I asked who would stay in the hotel, and he told me, “People like you. People who are from Valguanera Caropepe.”  

The undulating mountains of the Sicilian countryside are spectacular

He told us that there was a wonderful garden behind the block of homes and that it took him 5 years to clean it out.  He asked if we would like to see it.

Absolutely!  

We ducked through the house, which will require some work to get it to where Paolo wants it to be.  He explained that the walls of the garden were the old city walls from the Greek, Roman, and medieval periods.  The views of the undulating mountains of the Sicilian countryside were spectacular.  There were sheep grazing on the mountainside below the garden, and the tinkling of their collective bells was so beautiful and peaceful that I recorded a few seconds of it.  Paolo introduced us to the “nespola” or loquat fruit, which I had never seen before. It was delicious. Francesca wants to get a tree for our yard.  

Wrapping up Family Heritage Travel to Sicily, Discovering Our Ancestors in Valguarnera Caropepe

We wrapped up our day in Valguanera Caropepe at Bar 2001, where they serve coffee and gelato. Paolo and Serena had espresso and treated us to gelato. When I asked the patron how many flavors we could have in a cone, he told me that we could have 10 flavors!  But we went with three.  

When I studied in Rome, we used to get three flavors in a cone, but the standard today seems to be two.  We ate our gelato in the back room and chatted with Paolo and Serena. Our driver, Luca, spoke to Serena a little bit about living in Catania.

She told him, “Oh, there is too much traffic!”  And he told her that they just have a motorino and they live close to the school, work, and everywhere that they need to go, so they never have to drive anywhere.  As with our lunch spot, the bar became surprisingly busy shortly after we sat down.

And after our treats, it was time to say goodbye to Paolo, Serena, and Valguanera Caropepe and head to Piazza Armerina.

About the author: Kelly is a family-focused writer behind Atlanta & Beyond, a travel blog about fun things to do in Atlanta and the southeast for families, couples, and friends.

Heritage Travel: Editor’s Note and Final Thoughts

A heritage trip aiming at discovering family roots is not the type of pre-packaged tour itinerary. It is one of the special niche travel where families bring history into life, searching for names, stories, and anecdotes about their roots and places where their ancestors used to live.

In practical ways, you go walk the streets that your ancestors possibly walked more than once, speaking with local historians or residents who happen to hold a certain knowledge of the place in your focus.

While it may be impossible to feel the true life they lived, understanding the history standing where they used to call home is incomparable. Whether your roots trace back to Naples, Sardinia, or even coincidentally to Valguarnera Caropepe, or elsewhere around Germany, Ireland, Scotland, taking heritage trips builds more than a history but identity and a sense of belonging.

For businesses, heritage travel may not be the kind of company you ever imagined running, but with a constant need to seek authentic connections and meaningful travel experiences rooted in genealogy, the tourism industry holds more opportunities for forward-thinking entrepreneurs.

While Sicily is one of the popular destinations for heritage trip experiences, it is not the only one. You, too, have a story, even if you may be unaware of it.  If you ever feel like you want to discover your roots, the smooth way to start is to approach it with curiosity and, most importantly, be expectant of unexpected discoveries around your family.

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